Event: Lodestone Theater's "Trapezoid"

--- RELEASE ---

LODESTONE THEATER ENSEMBLE PRESENTS: Trapezoid

Trapezoid tells the story of a lovestruck Korean American poet hired to put the "art" in a robot's artificial intelligence. When the technological creation falls in love with its human creator, it's man-made versus mankind with comic and tragic results.

Trapezoid runs from April 19th - May 25th (Friday, Saturday - 8pm / Sunday - 2pm) **Low price $8.00 previews on April 17-18 at 8pm General Admission: $16.00 / Students & Seniors: $14.00 / Groups of 10+: $12.00 **April 19th - $25/Opening Night Gala **All Sunday shows (except May 25) are pay-what-you can ($1.00 min)

RSVP: 323-993-7245

Website: http://www.myspace.com/trapezoid2008

LOS ANGELES, CA Lodestone Theatre Ensemble presents the world premiere of Trapezoid, running April 19 - May 25, 2008 at the GTC Burbank (1111-B West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506) located inside George Izay Park. Following on the heels of one of its most critically-acclaimed and commercially successful seasons, the award-winning theatre company kicks off its ninth season with a new play by Lodestone Resident Producer Nic Cha Kim and directed by Scott Horstein.

Lodestone's first presentation of a play in the science-fiction genre, Trapezoid tells the story of a Korean American poet in love hired by a technology think tank to put the "art" in artificial intelligence. When the robot creation falls in love with the human creator, it's man-made versus mankind with sometimes comic and sometimes tragic results.

The cast includes Julia Cho, Antonia Grace Glenn, Alberto Isaac, Lanny Joon, Elaine Kao, Charles Kim, Ryan Mercado , Leonard Wu, Elpidio Ebuen, John Fukuda, Grace Kim, Stephanie Lincoln, Brian P. Nichols and Enoch Wu.

"Trapezoid is a loose adaptation of Pygmalion and Galatea but instead of sculpture, we use poetry," explains playwright Nic Cha Kim. "From Collodi's Pinocchio, Shelley's Frankenstein and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, artificial intelligence has been a fixture of science-fiction for centuries despite only being a science for the last 65 years. Trapezoid is my homage to scientists and science fiction writers alike."

Trapezoid playwright Nic Cha Kim is a Korean American writer, video artist and community activist. The recipient of numerous distinctions from the City of Los Angeles, Kim is best known for founding Gallery Row and leading the effort to create a gallery district in Downtown Los Angeles. As owner of Niche Video Art, his work curating cutting-edge digital and video art has been recognized in Art Forum, LA Times and the Downtown News. Kim was voted top 10 most influential Angeleno by LA Alternative Press and profiled on LA18 in the segment Our Role Models. This is Kim's first mainstage production at Lodestone.

Scott Horstein has directed workshops, readings and/or served as dramaturg at the Black Dahlia Theater, East West Players, the West Coast Ensemble, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Rep, San Diego Rep and the Old Globe, where he dramaturged for Arthur Miller on his penultimate play Resurrection Blues.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm., April 19 May 25, with low-priced previews on April 17 and 18. Tickets are $16 for general admission, $14 for students/seniors. Group rates of $12 each are available for reservations of ten or more. Tickets for the April 19th Opening Night Gala with a post-show reception are $25. All Sunday matinees (except May 25) will be pay-what-you-can admission with a $1 minimum.

For more information, call the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble hotline at (323) 993-7245 or visit http://www.blogger.com/www.lodestonetheatre.org or http://www.blogger.com/www.myspace.com/lodestonetheatre or www.myspace.com/trapezoid2008

Founded in 1999 by Philip W. Chung, Alexandra Chun, Chil Kong and Tim Lounibos, Lodestone is committed to providing a forum for Asian Pacific American artists in all aspects of the theatre arts. Lodestone seeks to challenge limited perceptions of Asian Pacific Americans through the creation of original theatrical productions as well as a fresh retelling of established works.
Lodestone Theatre Ensemble is a Company-in-Residence at GTC Burbank.

Historic APIA Presidential Town Hall in L.A. - May 17

Our reminder about a worthy, exciting event by the organization APIAVote.org:

Presidential Town Hall Just Around the Corner

APIAVote's national Presidential Town Hall is coming up! Mark May 17th in your calendars and plan on coming out to Irvine to join in the activity!

APIAVote is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels. APIAVote envisions a society in which all Asian Pacific Islander Americans fully participate in and have access to the democratic process.

With the support of various national Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations, we will be expecting 2000 community leaders, elected officials, voters, and students representing this diverse community from across the country to participate at the first National Presidential Town Hall hosted by our Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Development's (NCAPACD) Annual Convention is being held in conjunction with the Town Hall. Its Saturday activities will take place in the Bren Center, the APIA Vote Town Hall venue, as well. Among the activities on tap will be a "Voicing Our Votes" Forum and a discussion by the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, the leading coalition of national Asian Pacific American organizations.

Join us for this historic event and learn about the candidates before voting in the general election in November, 2008.

DATE: May 17, 2008
TIME: 4 pm
PLACE: Bren Events Center at University of California, Irvine [More Info]
COMPLETE INFO: APIA Vote Townhall Info, Registration, etc.

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Also note: For those interested in getting involved with this nonpartisan community effort, APIAVote is currently accepting applications for executive and internship positions, posted as featured jobs during the month of May at the Asian American Village Jobs for US Center

Volunteer to Help Archeologists at Manazanar

From the National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov/) via our friend Tom at densho.org :

Help Uncover History

You are invited to help the National Park Service conduct archeological investigations and stabilization at historic Merritt Park. Built by Japanese Americans while they were interned at Manzanar, Merritt Park is the largest single landscape feature at the Historic Site, and the largest remaining at any of the relocation centers. Numerous historic photographs reflect Merritt Park’s importance to the internees.

Now, Merritt Park is buried by sediments and overgrown with vegetation. Uncovering and restoring the park will help increase visitor understanding of the internee experience.

National Park Service Archeologist Jeff Burton is recruiting volunteers to assist with this project. Work will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, May 19 to May 31, July 21 to August 1, and August 30 to September 2, 2008. You may volunteer any number of days, and any number of hours, but a full day (and multiple days) is preferred. The work will be conducted outdoors, regardless of weather. Please be prepared.

If you are interested in participating and for local lodging options, please contact Manzanar Volunteer Program Manager, Carrie Andresen at 760-878-2194 x2714 or Carrie_Andresen@nps.gov.

See NPS info at http://www.nps.gov/manz/supportyourpark/volunteer.htm

[Image here by the National Park Service shows Earth Systems Science, Incorporated, a volunteer youth group that participated in past years' volunteer events at Manzanar.]

For Stats Junkies: Where APAs are the Largest Minority

A curious note came our way with the May release of the monthly Census Bureau update.


We're stats junkies at the Village, so we annually post the Bureau's Facts-for-Features when we update our http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/asian/history_heritage/asian_pacific_american_heritage_month.asp section.


It comes with their annually updated population projections, which this year carried the following highlights:

The Asian population rose by 2.9 percent, or 434,000, between 2006 and 2007.

California (5 million) had the largest Asian population on July 1, 2007, as well
as the largest numerical increase during the 2006 to 2007 period (106,000). New
York (1.4 million) and Texas (915,000) followed in population. Texas (44,000)
and New York (33,000) followed in numerical increase.

In Hawaii, Asians made up the highest proportion of the total population (55 percent), with California (14 percent), and New Jersey and Washington (8 percent each) next.

The single-race Asian population in 2007 had a median age of 35.4, compared with the population as a whole at 36.6.

This pretty reflects trends that have been reoprted in recent years past, only augmented. But this year, the Bureau slipped a really surprising one by us, burying the revelation in an entirely different release. We even thought it was a typo, but we followed through digging a little deeper into Census.gov and it seems legit. So before we report it, we thought we'd put it out there to those APIA Studies folks and demographers who think they really know their stuff.

QUESTION: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Asians are the largest minority group in which U.S. state(s)?

Think you know? Check it out.

Asian Pacific American Heritage (and History) Month @ AAV

The editors are now updating our annual section, Asian Pacific American Heritage (and History) Month @ AAV, with features, links, news, activities for kids, historical interest, books, and more.

This year, more than ever, the editors have opted to emphasize history over heritage per se. As we've written in years past, at IMDiversity Asian-American Village, EVERY month is "Asian American Heritage Month". We are all for celebrating / recalling / enacting traditional aspects stemming from our roots in Asia. We enjoy obon and lion dances and martial arts and mehendi etc., etc. as much as the next person. And we recognize that for many people -- especially those living in regions who do not have access to a large or vibrant AA/PI community -- taking a time out once a year to indulge, commemorate, celebrate and share those aspects of our heritage that we hold most dear is not only gratifying and important, but perhaps a rare luxury.

But at the same time, we at the Village have made an effort regard May as a chance to explore/recapture our pasts as people of Asian descent here, in America -- ala Black History Month or Women's History Month. Because we have the luxury of being fully expressive of our iterests as Asian Americans year-round, our editors have long felt that redirecting the month's emphasis onto history has led to a more meaningful, substantive commemoration of the contributions of APAs here, in this country, yesterday and today.

This year, we kick off our section with the usual updates -- the new Asian Pacific American Population Census Facts for Heritage Month 2008, the annually adjusted fun feature for stats junkies from Census; this year's Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Proclamation by the President of the United States of America; and new feature articles on historical themes.

This year, our top features to kick off may include "Vincent Who?" by Roland Hwang, President, American Citizens for Justice, recalling the historic importance of the Vincent Chin murder case of 26 years ago and the founding of ACJ.

We also spotlight and feature a clip from Passing Poston: An American Story. Filmmaker Joe Fox discusses the inspiration behind new film about Poston internment camp on an AZ reservation in WWII. The film nudges the usual internment story a little further, placing a fresh emphasis on the exploration of the internment's impact on both Japanese Americans and Native Americans.

History of Asians in the San Gabriel Valley, a new research essay by historian Susie Ling, Associate Professor of Asian American Studies at Pasadena City College, provides a historical overview of one of America's "most Asian" regions.


From the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, A History of Chinese American Banking in Los Angeles includes illustrated excerpts from the Society's recent tribute to SoCal banking pioneers.

As always, we'll continue to post new items on themes of history and heritage throughout the month both on the section and here on the blog. We'll also be launching a prominent section of featured employment opportunities we've packaged just for the Asian American Village Jobs for Us Career Center, reloading our recently redesigned Secret Asian Man section with new comic strip series, and more.

Meanwhile, here's one of those greetings you probably won't hear elsewhere any time soon, but...Happy Asian Pacific American Month!

Misc Announcements for APA Heritage Month

File this in the things to do in May when you're Asian category...Boiled down from releases sent in to the Village --

2008 Asian Excellence Awards on E! Entertainment
Thursday, May 1 @ 6 pm EST/PST
Hosted by Bobby Lee (MADtv) and Carrie Ann Inaba (Dancing with the Stars)
Performances by JabbaWockeeZ, KABA Modern and Tia Carrere

Honorees, Winners and Presenters include:

Kristi Yamaguchi, Sonja Sohn, Rob Schneider, Steven Seagal, Quentin Tarantino, Kelly Hu, Lindsay Price, Steve Chen (co-founder of YOUtube), Verne Troyer, B.D. Wong, Andre Royo, Ian Ziering, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bobby Lee, Jack Yang, Daisy Fuentes, Roger Fan, Russell Peters, Devon Aoki, Sharon Leal, Tamlyn Tomita, Bai Ling, Cheryl Burke, Cristián de la Fuente, Se7en, Daisy Fuentes, Will Yun Lee, Michelle Krusiec, Michael Yo, Brenda Song, Rex Lee, Navi Rawat, Jack Yang, Michaela Conlin, James Saito, and Teresa Cheung.
Visit http://www.axawards.com/ for more info.
Red carpet and additional extras will be available on Comcast on Demand starting May 7.

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KCET Los Angeles and Union Bank of California Present
"Local Heroes of the Year" at Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration on Thursday, May 8, at KCET

Event Honors Southern Californians in Arts, Business, Community Activism, Education and Social Services; KCET Airs Honoree Video Profiles in May

Recognizing May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, KCET and Union Bank of California have teamed to present the 5th Annual "Local Hero of the Year" Awards at a special event for honorees and their guests on Thursday, May 8 at KCET. The awards are presented to individuals of Asian/Pacific heritage who have inspired others and enriched their communities, improving the quality of life for all. The festivities will also include a featured performance by Grammy® Award-winning artist Daniel Ho. This year's honorees are:

Community Activism, Curtis Chin, Writer/Producer and Volunteer for Asian Pacific Americans for Progress;
Social Services, Hemlata Momaya, Executive Director of Bal Jagat Children's World, Inc.;
Education: Bill H. Seki, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Go For Broke National Education Center;
Arts: Beau Sia, Poet; and
Business: Tony Yip, President of J.T. Bonn, Inc.

As part of KCET's Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month celebration, KCET will broadcast specials and programs that honor the cultural and historical heritage of Asian/ Pacific Americans. For in-depth episode descriptions of all Asian/Pacific Heritage Month programs, please visit http://www.kcet.org/.

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Asia Society "Callout Initiative" on YouTube
“What does being Asian American mean to you?”



Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! To celebrate, Asia Society has joined with YouTube in a callout initiative asking people everywhere: “What does being Asian American mean to you?” For today’s launch, we are the spotlight headlining YouTube’s News homepage à

To see our call-out video featuring Sandra Oh, Senator Daniel Inouye, Kal Penn, George Takei, and others, simply click on Sandra above. And help spread the word! Please encourage all Asian Americans to post their own response videos throughout the month at http://www.youtube.com/video_response_upload?v=hWey0hhi3Dw. This May, help Asian Americans come together!

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release: APA Advocates Disappointed in Court Decision in IN Voter ID Case

Asian American Advocates Disappointed in Supreme Court’s Decisionin the Indiana Voter ID Case

Washington, D.C. – The Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) and its affiliates – Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Asian Law Caucus and the Asian American Institute – join voting rights and advocacy groups nationwide in their disappointment in the United States Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of the Indiana voter photo identification law. The decision did, however, leave the door open to future challenges in Indiana and elsewhere by otherwise eligible voters who are denied their right to vote based on onerous and unconstitutional voter ID laws.

“Studies have shown that there are millions of eligible voters without the necessary IDs, including Asian Americans,” said Tuyet Le, executive director of the Asian American Institute. “As the dissent notes, Indiana’s law will sadly but predictably have its greatest impact on voters who are poor, elderly, belong to racial minorities or have disabilities. Asian Americans are among those who will be disproportionately impacted by these laws.”

"We find it quite alarming that six justices marginalize the burden placed on many eligible Indiana voters who lack a driver’s license by the Indiana’s voter ID law, including those additional burdens faced by naturalized Asian Americans who incur more expense and time to obtain the necessary ID,” said Terry M. Ao, AAJC’s director of census and voting programs.
“Equally troublesome is the fact that the Justices accepted seemingly without question Indiana’s unsubstantiated claim of voter fraud despite the inability of the state to produce one instance of in-person voter fraud that the Indiana statute allegedly addresses,” added Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.

“Participation in the democratic process should unite all Americans; we should be seeking ways to encourage more voters, not inventing excuses to deny citizens their constitutional right to vote,” said Susan Mooney, interim executive director at the Asian Law Caucus. "Indiana, and now the Court, is unnecessarily making voting more difficult than it needs to be, or should be for Indiana voters to exercise their constitutional right to vote."

AAJC and its affiliates filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case, William Crawford et al. v. Marion County Election Board, et al.

The Asian American Justice Center, formerly known as NAPALC, is a national organization dedicated to defending and advancing the civil and human rights of Asian Americans. It works closely with three affiliates – the Asian American Institute of Chicago, the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco, and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in Los Angeles – and nearly 100 community partners in 49 cities, 23 states and Washington, D.C.

Senate Passes Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007

Release from Organization of Chinese Americans

Comprehensive bill expands support for disabled veterans, job training, and provides historic Filipino veterans equity

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, elatedly applauded his colleagues in the Senate for passing S. 1315, the Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 by a vote of 96 to 1. Prior to voting on final passage of the bill, the Senate debated an amendment to remove a provision providing a limited pension for Filipino World War II veterans residing in the . This amendment was defeated by a vote of 56 to 41, with Akaka leading the charge for the Filipino veterans’ pension.

“The Filipino veterans of World War II fought bravely under military command, helping us win the war only to lose their veteran status by an Act of Congress. I commend my colleagues for supporting those veterans who stood with us,” said Akaka.

Akaka continued, “I am also very pleased that the Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 can finally move forward. This bill makes needed improvements to veterans’ benefits by expanding and increasing support for veterans, their families, and their survivors. I urge my colleagues in the House to act swiftly on this much needed bill.”

This comprehensive, budget-neutral omnibus veterans’ benefits bill was approved by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs last June and reported to the full Senate last August.
The Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 would provide a veterans’ pension to Filipino veterans of World War II residing in the and in the . Under the proposed bill, veterans residing in the would receive a smaller pension than those residing in the , to account for differences in cost-of-living in the two countries.

The Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 also includes a multitude of improvements to veterans’ benefits, including provisions to:

• Establish a new program of insurance for service-connected disabled veterans;
• Expand eligibility for retroactive benefits from traumatic injury protection coverage under Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance;
• Increase the maximum amount of Veterans’ Mortgage Life Insurance that a service-connected disabled veteran may purchase;
• Provide individuals with severe burn injuries specially adapted housing benefits; and
• Extend for two years the monthly educational assistance allowance for apprenticeship or other on-the-job training

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives.

-END-

Release Source: OCA National Center
1322 18th St NW
Washington DC 20036
www.ocanational.org

APIAVote Plans Historic Presidential Town Hall

This from the noble folks at the nonparisan, nonprofit voter advocacy group, APIAVote.org (who, incidentally, are currently seeking candidates to fill both internship-level positions and an Executive Director slot -- see the Asian American Village Jobs for Career Center for details.).

--- RELEASE ---

Presidential Town Hall
DATE: May 17, 2008
PLACE: Bren Events Center at University of California, Irvine

With the support of various national Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations, we will be expecting 2000 community leaders, elected officials, voters, and students representing this diverse community from across the country to participate at the first National Presidential Town Hall hosted by our Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Join us for this historic event and learn about the candidates before voting in the general election in November, 2008.

Invitations to each campaign were received and we are working with the campaigns to schedule each candidate's appearance.

Presidential Town Hall Website Updated
The Town Hall Website has been updated and has all the information you need to know to prepare for your trip to Irvine, CA. Registration is live - be sure to signup today!

Registration Live
Register online to enter the lottery to receive a ticket for Town Hall. Media registration is also available online.

Town Hall Agenda on Website
Visit our newly updated website to view a complete agenda of events including the National CAPACD conference, Voicing Our Votes forum, Power of Our Vote Luncheon and more.

Flights Through Southwest
Southwest Airlines is proud to be the Official Airline of the APIAVote Presidential Town Hall. Remember to book your airline tickets soon!

Hotel Deals for Town Hall
Radisson Newport Beach - Mention APIAVote and get a special rate of $119 a night for Doubles/Single Queen rooms if you book by May 9th. This includes free breakfast, free internet, a shuttle to John Wayne Airport and UC Irvine.

4545 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach, CA Tel: 949-833-0570

Can't Make It to Irvine?
Host your own watch party! Live streaming available to a computer near you. Simply e-mail us at RSVP@apiavote.org and we will help you set up your living room Town Hall.

Ask Before You Vote
Ask the presidential candidates your question via video. To submit your question for the candidates, send a link to your video to rsvp@apiavote.org.

Washington, D.C.
(202) 223-9170
info@apiavote.org

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His Holiness The Dalai Lama

On Saturday and Sunday, April 19 and 20, 2008, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will visit Ann Arbor, Michigan, where over the course of three sequential sessions in two days he will teach on “Engaging Wisdom and Compassion” at the Crisler Arena of the University of Michigan.

The two-day educational program co-sponsored by Jewel Heart, a Tibetan Buddhist Center headquarted in Ann Arbor, The Tibet Fund, and the Garrison Institute will be held in conjunction with a public talk, the Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability, addressing environmental issues and presented on April 20th by the University of Michigan at the Crisler Arena in celebration of Earth Day.

The Dalai Lama is recognized worldwide for his message of compassion and tolerance, his promotion of human rights and inter-religious understanding, his focus on peace through non-violent conflict resolution and his advocacy for the environment. Winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama was the recent recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal.

On Friday, April 18, 7:30 pm, Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, there will also be a special presentation on "Buddhism and Art" by Gelek Rimpoche, Composer and Musician Phillip Glass, and Actor and Activist Richard Gere.

After His Holiness' visit, Jewel Heart founder and Spiritual Director, Gelek Rimpoche, will embark on a multi-city lecture tour to elaborate on His Holiness' teachings on Engaging Wisdom and Compassion. Rimpoche will elaborate further how we can apply these teachings to our daily lives, providing follow-up for those who attended in April as well as serving as an excellent introduction for those who were not able to attend the Ann Arbor event.

Release/Clip: New Film "Vincent Who?" - Chicago April 19

We got this release in about a new film about the murder of Vincent Chin, featuring past Asian-American Village columnists Helen Zia and Frank Wu, among others. We congratulate them, the filmmakers, and the group Asian Pacific Americans for Progress for their efforts in keeping this (sadly still-relevant) story alive. -- Editors


Asian Pacific Americans for Progress and Tony Lam Films present a new film

"VINCENT WHO?"

APAP is proud to announce our first film, a documentary on the murder of Vincent Chin and the impact the historic case has had on the Asian American community.

A follow-up to our National Townhall on Hate Crimes last year, the film features such leading figures as Helen Zia (journalist and leading lawyer during the case), Stewart Kwoh (Executive Director, Asian Pacific American Law Caucus), Frank Wu (Dean, Wayne State Law School), Renee Tajima Pena (Director, "Who Killed Vincent Chin?"), Lisa Ling (journalist), Judy Chu (Chair, California Board of Equalization), Mike Eng (Assemblymember, California State Assembly), Eric Nakamura (Publisher, Giant Robot Magazine) and many more.

Please join the film's Facebook group and invite your friends to join as well. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vincent-Who/13568129602

If you're in Chicago, the film will be screened during the upcoming Asian American Film Showcase on Saturday, April 19th at 5:30 PM at the Siskel Center. This will be a special screening with the director and a Q&A.

Thanks and keep spreading the word!

Curtis
vincentchin.net

TRAILER AT YOUTUBE

Focus on Hapas: Two Upcoming California Events

This from our old pal and past contributor Alec MacDonald, who was active in organizations The Japanese American Citizens League and Hapa Issues Forum.

"Re-envisioning Community: Hapa Issues Forum, 1992-2007"
Sunday, April 13, from 2-4 p.m.
National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS)
1684 Post Street in San Francisco's Japantown
Phone 415.921.5007
Website is http://njahs.org/

On display at NJAHS through August 31, "Re-envisioning Community" is an exhibition of HIF's fifteen year history through photographs and documents (part of this exhibition was unveiled at HIF's Last Hurrah 'retirement' event on the campus of UC Berkeley last September). The exhibition opening next Sunday afternoon will feature a light and informal panel discussion about the organization and its legacy by a few of its past members.

The Sunday opening coincides with the first weekend of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, which will run all day along Post Street and around Japantown, and will offer food, arts & crafts, music, cultural performances and more. For additional information about the festival, visit http://nccbf.org/home/.


Revelations & Resilience: Exploring the Realities of Hapa-ness
Saturday, April 12, 2008 from 2–4 PM
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street in Los Angeles, CA 90012

For those who happen to be in Southern California instead, the Japanese American
National Museum in Los Angeles will also be hosting a hapa roundtable event that same weekend (on Saturday). More information.

Also of Interest

• Find "hapa-themed" readings from the archives at Asian American Village

China Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections

In this year of presidential and Congressional elections, developments in China, and America’s response to these developments, have a direct impact on the lives of just about everyone in the United States. CHINA Town Hall , April 17, 2008, is a national day of programming designed to provide Americans in up to 40 cities with the opportunity to discuss these issues with leading experts.

The National Committee on US-China Relations is pleased to present this program, which features a nationwide talk (live webcast) by noted political analyst Norman J. Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, followed by local presentations by on-site China specialists who will address topics of particular interest to the local community. Each program is cosponsored by the National Committee and a local organization(s). CHINA Town Hall is generously underwritten by the Starr Foundation.

Opinion Added: 'Why Clinton Works for Asian American Women"

In a recently added op-ed wrapping up our Women's History Month @ Asian American Village edition, frequent special contributor Erin May Ling Quill confesses why...

"...I heart Hillary. Starting in Women’s History Month, I sat to write a few words as to what Hillary’s campaign means to me as an Asian American woman. I was kind of surprised when I started my research, but the more I did, the more I ‘heart’ her. "

Along with other recent contributions on the IMDiversity.com network, the piece explores the constellation of tricky identity politics, community issues, gender and ethnic affinities at play in this election -- where, on the Democratic side, the prospect of possibly electing the nation's first woman president or the first African-American/multiracial president has many voters torn.

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The Village caretakers remain interested in hearing opinions of diverse Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders about the choices left before us in the primaries and the upcoming general election. We want to know "who 'hearts' who" in this historic election, and why.

Where do we fit in -- into the high-profile dialogues on race and race relations, and on immigration and belonging, that have become so prominent in this later primary season?

Where do we fit -- in as men and women? As neither white nor black? As Americans or as immigrants? As a small population and a growing voting bloc?

We'd love to hear your comments here!

No April Fool's: Q & A With Milwaukee Mayoral Candidate Andrew Shaw

Item of interest: In a possibly unlikely-seeming race, the Milwaukee heads to the polls today to determine, among other things, whether Andrew Shaw will have a chance to become that city's first Asian American mayor. He is profiled on the website of local news channel WISN:

Q & A With Milwaukee Mayor Candidate Andrew Shaw - WISN 12: Commitment 2008 News Story - WISN Milwaukee:

"Andrew Shaw is the first Asian-American to seek the Milwaukee mayoral
position. He is running against Mayor Tom Barrett in the April 1 election.

The determined candidate was born in South Korea and raised in
Minnesota. He graduated in 1992 with a J.D. in Law from Marquette University Law
School. Since then, Shaw has worked for 15 years as an attorney and an
entrepreneur.

He has always been interested in addressing issues involving race.
While attending law school, the candidate participated in the creation of
Marquette University Law School's chapter of the Asian Law Students
Association."

Long Duk Dong Revisited on NPR

If we needed another reason to pitch in and not tune out during the next interminable on-air fundraising drive...

Hat's off to NPR's All Things Considered for its story this week, Long Duk Dong: Last of the Hollywood Stereotypes?, reported by Alison MacAdam.

Okay, maybe for most Villagers, the story will be preaching to the converted. But it's gratifying to hear the story explored in a more-or-less mainstream media forum like this, since most of us have long, long ago given bothering to try to explain to people, "What's wrong with the Donger". The story includes interviews with the ill-fated JA actor, Gedde Watanabe, and the publishers of Giant Robot.

Happily, NPR has also annotated the online version with both a discussion forum and a "Donger and Me" comic strip by one of the editors' old favorite artists, Adrian Tomine (see Tomine's Shortcomings).

Release: NAPAWF Denounces Ad Campaign for "Chinese Laundry" Fusion Restaurant

March 18, 2008

METRO WASHINGTON, DC - The National Asian Pacific American Women's
Forum (NAPAWF) joins community members and activists in expressing
deep objection to an ad campaign printed in February and March of this
year to publicize a new Asian fusion restaurant owned by Chow Fun Food
Group, Inc.

A print advertisement in last month's Providence Monthly magazine
signaled the upcoming opening of Chinese Laundry, an Asian fusion
restaurant in downtown Providence, RI, built on the site of a former
Chinese laundry business that closed six years ago. The advertisement
prominently featured a black and white image of a faceless nude female
torso with traditional Chinese characters tattooed down the side of
her body, and a black banner containing the text "see what you are
missing" across her breasts. A bar of text across the top of the
advertisement read, "good things come to those who wait." Earlier this
month, the advertisement was again printed in Providence Monthly, this
time with the words, "the wait is over." See www.napawf.org/blog to
view the actual advertisement.

In an apparent response to public objection to the advertisement led
by Asian American activists, Chow Fun Food Group owner John Elkhay
recently announced that the ad campaign will be pulled.

This is only a first step. NAPAWF denounces the Chow Fun Food Group
for leveraging, in this marketing campaign, the lowest common
denominators of Asian female exoticism and the commodification of a
generalized Asian culture. NAPAWF is also disturbed by the flippancy
with which the restaurant appropriated the name "Chinese Laundry"
without recognition of the significance that line of business played
in Chinese American history and oppression.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chinese Americans were
largely forced to enter the laundering business due to intense
discrimination that closed the door of opportunity to most other forms
of work. Chinese Americans came to be associated with the laundry
business because, as with railroad work during the mid-19th century,
it was one of the few available industries that Chinese workers could
enter into to pursue a livelihood. Mr. Elkhay clearly missed the mark
in naming his restaurant "Chinese Laundry" to "honor the time honored
traditions of those before us," as Mr. Elkhay has stated.

Similarly, the advertisements' evocations of passive, faceless
hypersexuality resurrect the struggles that Asian American and Pacific
Islander women have historically fought against. For centuries, Asian
American and Pacific Islander women have been represented as objects
of submission, foreignness and sexual exoticism. The advertisement is
proof that this "orientalism" continues today.

NAPAWF calls on Mr. Elkhay to take seriously his own proclaimed desire
to respect the cultures that he seeks to profit from, by acknowledging
their histories and realities rather than by packaging them into
offensive and oppressive pop culture quips. We urge Mr. Elkhay, as a
successful business owner, to wield his powers of publicity in ways
that are constructive to dismantling, rather than propagating, culture
and gender oppression.

Send a message to the Chow Fun Food Group! Go to
http://www.petitiononline.com/providen/petition.html to sign a
petition calling on Mr. Elkhay to issue a formal apology and
discontinue this "business practice."

Please contact Bonnie at bchan@napawf.org for more info or if you would like to get involved in
local campaign efforts.

Campus Lockdown: Women of Color Negotiating the Academic Industrial Complex

Saturday, March 15, 2008, 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Michigan Union, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
For more information & to register online: http://www.woclockdown.org/

Campus Lockdown: Women of Color Negotiating the Academic Industrial Complex is a conference organized by undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Michigan. Its aim is to promote dialogue on the politics of women of color scholarship in a post-Proposal 2 (anti-Affirmative Action) environment. Women scholars of color from universities across the country will participate in critical discussions of a host of issues relating to politics, pedagogy, and campus climate for women devoted to pubic scholarship. The conference is intended as an organized community forum space and all attendees are encouraged to contribute to the day's ongoing conversations.

Speakers:
Piya Chatterjee, University of California, Riverside
Angela Davis, University of California, Santa Cruz (via teleconference)
Rosa Linda Fregoso, University of Southern California
Ruthie Gilmore, University of Southern California
Fred Moten, Duke University
Clarissa Rojas, San Francisco State University
Haunani-Kay Trask, University of Hawai'I

CO-SPONSORS: University of Michigan Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program, Center for the Education of Women, Department of History of Art, Department of Women’s Studies, Division of Student Affairs, Michigan Student Assembly, Museum Studies Program, Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, Students of Color of Rackham Native Caucus, William Monroe Trotter Multicultural Center, Women of Color in the Academy Project

"Asian-Pacific American Women's Wall of Fame"

It's back! Our annual Asian American Village Women's History Month commemoration of the APA women who have made history, these pages and a difference.

Help us keep this annual, ever-growing, Villager-built tradition alive by adding your own "brick".

Tell us:

Which APA women do you feel have made the most meaningful difference in shaping our lives, our community and nation -- and why?

This year, we're going to try taking nominations here through the blog, so please leave us a comment with your nomination. And PLEASE, don't just a send us a name that's already on the Wall -- instead, tell us why you nominate her and what is remarkable about her. Use purple prose, add links, whatever you like!

International Women's Day

http://womensvillage.blogspot.com/: "March 8 is International Women's Day


March 8 is International Women's Day

Visit the official IWD site to learn more, support it, get a logo link to display on your site.

Also added this week at IMDiversity.com:
Women's History Month Profile 2008
Annual Census release paints statistical portrait of U.S. women at work, school, home, business and beyond

More readings will be added to our Women's Village news section and in other villages throughout the month, including updates to the annual Asian Pacific American Wall of Fame at the Women's History Month @ Asian American Village and the Women's History Month - Latina Wall of Fame at Hispanic American Village, and more...

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang on CTN TV

See our own Frances Kai-Hwa Wang moderating a book discussion group for William Poy Lee's The Eighth Promise as part of the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads "China and America: Bridging Two Worlds" on Community Television Network (CTN) Access Ann Arbor (Channel 17)
Airing February 24, 26, 27, 28, 29; March 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 2008

FILM: Passing Poston: An American Story

Following up on the Annual Day of Remembrance -- marking FDR's signing of Executive Order 9066 -- we feature a contribution by filmmaker Joe Fox, whose new film Passing Poston: An American Story, debuts in New York City tonight.

The filmmaker and writer discusses the inspiration behind the new film about Poston concentration camp, and about the film's exploration of connections between the Japanese Americans who labored there and the Colorado River Indian tribe, whose desert reservation served as its host.

As Fox states, "A filmmaker is nothing more than a storyteller. And one really searches high and low for those amazing stories to tell."

He and partner James Nubile have found an amazing story indeed. Learn more at http://www.passingposton.com/.

Noism08 UMS Debut

NINA materialize sacrifice, Noism08
Jo Kanamori, artistic director
Friday, February 15, 8 pm, Power Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan

One of the most talked-about personalities on the Japanese contemporary dance scene, the 33-year-old choreographer and dancer Jo Kanamori is at the vanguard of Japan's new generation of dancemakers and serves as the artistic director of Noism08, the only residential contemporary dance company in Japan. He studied classical Ballet in Japan, then went to Europe where he discovered contemporary dance, working with Jirí Kylián and Maurice Béjart and achieving recognition as an important choreographer with a unique, polished, and sophisticated talent. His company makes its UMS debut with this single performance of NINA materialize sacrifice, which showcases dancers of amazing virtuosity performing outrageously difficult choreography with machine-like precision. This full-evening work is set to music by Vietnamese-French composer Ton That An.

University Musical Society

Happy Year of the Rat - Part 2

As I wrote in the previous Lunar New Year posting, the editors have been banging away at our Lunar New Year section, our archive of readings from (lunar) years past and present, with new readings to welcome the Year of the Rat. Rolling updates will continue throughout this week and deeper into the month.

Additionally, we've compiled just for fun a supplemental of package of AP stories on the theme, (Re)Consider the Rat. Anchored by a report on Chinese astrologers' predictions for the apparently "turbulent" rat-year ahead, the package is really more a journalistic improv on the actual -- not zodiacal -- rodent.

Sure, maybe the success of the Disney-Pixar Ratatouille has helped raise the rodent's rep a notch, but they've got a long way to go before they are embraced as cuddly. (Hard to imagine something like March of the Rats... taking America by storm.)

But, as the AP reports, the much-maligned lunar symbol of the year has definitely made in-roads with a diverse fan-base, from rights activists to scientists, pet owners to ... umm ... chefs.

So, this New Year's Day, don't forget to hug a rat, and stop by the Village for more this week!

Also, a shout out: The image here is from one of our past New Year's articles, Chinese Lunar Calendar and Zodiac, by and courtesy of the SF Chinese Culture Center, which is planning a bunch of great New Year's programming for all ages this year, including a free, Pre-Party exhibit at the Center, 750 Kearny Street, starting the 21st, and a reading by Oliver Chin from his book for kids, Year of the Rat.

AALDEF Poll: APAs Favored Clinton, McCain in NY.NJ

Sent in from the good folks at Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), who did poll monitoring in the area yesterday:

ASIAN AMERICAN VOTERS FAVOR CLINTON AND McCAIN IN
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES
***********************************
New York … Asian American voters in New York and New Jersey, two states with the largest Asian American populations in the Northeast, gave overwhelming support to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in the "Super Tuesday" presidential primary elections.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) today released preliminary findings from its multilingual, nonpartisan exit poll of 700 Asian American voters at 9 polling places in New York City and 6 polling places in Palisades Park, Fort Lee and Edison, New Jersey.

AALDEF Executive Director Margaret Fung said: "Asian American voters have demonstrated strong interest in the Presidential elections, and they made their voices heard on Super Tuesday."

A summary of the preliminary results appears below:

NEW YORK

Over 530 Asian American voters were polled in New York City: Manhattan's Chinatown; Flushing, Elmhurst, and Bayside, Queens; and Sunset Park and Midwood, Brooklyn. 61% were Chinese Americans, 21% Korean Americans, and 12% South Asian Americans.

-Among Asian American voters polled, 95% were Democrats and 5% were Republicans.
-Asian American female and male voters polled were split 50%-50%.
-30% of Asian Americans polled were 70 years and over, followed by voters aged 60-69 (19%), ages 50 to 59 (16%), ages 40 to 49 (13%), and 11% each for voters aged 30 to 39 and aged 18 to 29.

Democratic Primary
-86% of Asian American Democrats--women and men of all age groups--supported Clinton, with Obama receiving 14% of the Asian American vote.
-Among Asian ethnic groups, the greatest support for Clinton came from Chinese American voters (90%); followed by Korean Americans (81%) and South Asian Americans (70%).
-91% of Asian American women voted for Clinton and 9% voted for Obama; Asian American men also favored Clinton (80%) over Obama (20%).
-Asian Americans in all age groups (18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70 and over) preferred Clinton. Obama did best among younger Asian Americans, receiving 29% of voters aged 19-29, as compared to 9% of Asian American voters 70 and over.

Republican Primary
-68% of Asian American Republicans voted for Sen. John McCain, followed by 12% for Mike Huckabee. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney each received 8% of the Asian American vote.
-Asian American women and men in all age groups favored McCain over the other candidates.

NEW JERSEY

Almost 170 Asian American voters were surveyed in New Jersey. 75% were Korean American, 15% South Asian American, 9% Chinese American, and 1% Other Asian American. Voters were surveyed at 6 poll sites in Palisades Park, Fort Lee, and Edison.
Democratic Primary -Clinton won 73% of the Asian American vote, with 22% supporting Obama.
-Korean American voters, the largest Asian ethnic group polled in New Jersey, favored Clinton by 80%, with 16% for Obama.
Republican Primary -McCain won 56% of Asian American Republicans polled, followed by Giuliani (20%), Romney (16%) and Huckabee (4%).

* * *

AALDEF coordinated the 2008 exit poll of Asian American voters with the assistance of co-sponsors Korean American Voters’ Council of NY/NJ and YKASEC: Empowering the Korean American Community.

The exit poll questionnaire was available in English, Chinese, and Korean. More than 100 attorneys, law students, and community volunteers conducted the poll and spoke seven Asian languages or dialects, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Hindi, Urdu, and Gujarati.

AALDEF’s multilingual exit polls reveal vital information about Asian American voting patterns regularly overlooked in mainstream voter surveys and provide a snapshot of Asian American voter preferences on candidates, political parties, and policy issues of concern to Asian Americans.

In the 2004 Presidential election, AALDEF polled almost 11,000 Asian American voters in 23 cities in eight states. AALDEF’s exit poll reports from the 2006 midterm elections and 2004 presidential elections are available online at www.aaldef.org/voting.php

###

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

Happy New Year from Asian-American Village!

On February 7, the traditional Chinese calendar rolls into year 4706, and we roll with it with a new feature, Chinese New Year, Los Angeles Style, by frequent Village contributor Susie Ling of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. Her feature provides a succinct look at area events planned to welcome the Year of the Rat, with a historical twist.

Although our Lunar New Year section has become more of an archive of (lots of) collected readings from years past than a regular annual feature, we will continue to add small news items and other features related to theme as they come.

Now, an important announcement:

Lunar New Year Is Not Synonymous with Chinese New Year

Let's repeat that, for emphasis:

Lunar New Year Is Not Synonymous with Chinese New Year

While we're on the topic, every year we get a few complainers coming by and flaming us (probably without having actually read the section) and accusing us of conflating Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year, or misrepresenting Lunar New Year as an exclusively Chinese thing.

Why don't you say anything about Tet or Têt for that matter!

Why don't you say that Korean Lunar New is Sol, celebrated on the first day of the first month of Lunar New Year?

Why don't you write about Losar, the Tibetan Lunar New Year, which is usually close to, but not necessarily the same day as, Chinese New Year?

Well, the answer is, we do (or at least, have done).

But, we also admit that after years of this, we lack the editorial wherewithal and frankly interest in tracking and in many cases regurgitating stuff about this crazy array of always-moving, never-quite-synchronized, sort-of-similar-but-not-really, moving-target holidays. Now, being honest, we know that it can be hard sometimes to keep track of our own ethnic holidays on a lunar calendar, much less every other ethnic group's.

That said, we do make small updates and run seasonal features about LNY every year, in January or February or March or whenever the heck it is this time around. When we get in submissions related to other aspects of the lunar holidays (not just New Year), we often run them. This can include features, reader letters, events listings, or news items related to theme from around the country and the world from the AP or other sources we subscribe to. But, we have to say, that in general, we get a lot more stuff sent our way about Chinese New Year than others -- whether from contributor pitches or newswires or readers, as well as through mainstream media. We don't know why. Maybe it's becasue there are more Chinese Americans than other groups who bother with a lunar calendar. Or, maybe it's just that Chinese Americans are more "party people"? (I'm not Korean, but I've noticed that over many years now, I'm usually the one my Korean American friends here in the Midwest have come to rely on to remind them when Sol is approaching -- like the seasonal products aisle at Walgreen's.)

So, this year, before you write to berate us for thinking that Lunar New Year is Chinese New Year, we say: Put up or shut up! You have something of interest to say or announce or report on for your New Year, then send it in or, for more time-sensitive stuff, post it here!

;-)

Meanwhile, happy new year/tet/losar/sol, etc., etc. to everyone -- the point being, may the year just starting bring health, happiness, and good fortune to us all!

Chinese New Year's with Frances Wang

Community Chinese New Year's Celebration
Saturday, February 9, 2008, 2:00-3:30pm
Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads "China and America: Bridging Two Worlds"
Ann Arbor District Library, Main/Downtown branch
343 South Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Chinese Lunar New Year's Day signifies the beginning of spring and is celebrated by ethnic Chinese and Taiwanese in many countries around the world, including Taiwan, China, Singapore, and America! Come celebrate the Year of the Mouse with Frances Kai-Hwa Wang and Ann Arbor's own Chinese American community with dance, music, martial arts, stories, crafts, and Yo-Yo! with performances by Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan, Ann Arbor Chinese Dancing School, Ann Arbor Traditional Chinese Orchestra and Ann Hua Chinese School.

Wu Man, pipa, and the Bay Area Shawm Band UMS Debut

Sunday, February 10, 4 pm, Rackham Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Wu Man is an internationally renowned virtuoso of the pipa, a lute-like Chinese instrument whose history dates back more than 2,000 years. Born in Hangzhou, China and now living in San Diego, she is recognized as an outstanding exponent of the traditional repertoire as well as a leading interpreter of contemporary pipa music by today’s most prominent composers, including Bright Sheng (she created the original Goddess Weaver in Silver River, which UMS presented last season), Philip Glass, Lou Harrison, Tan Dun, Chen Yi, and others. A frequent participant in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project, Wu Man makes her UMS debut as part of the season’s global focus on artists from Asia, and as part of the U-M China Theme Year. She is joined by the Chinese Shawm Band, among the most exhilarating of the gypsy bands in China. Shawm Bands, which feature distinctive long reed instruments and percussion, are an integral part of village ceremonies and provide an extreme contrast to the refined world of the pipa. Shawm music dates back to the 16th century, with a gutsy, blues-like, improvisatory feel.

Brown Bag: Wu Man and the World of Chinese Music
Tuesday, Feb 12,12-1 pm, Center for Chinese Studies, School of Social Work Building, 1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Join world-renowned pipa virtuoso Wu Man as she discusses the world of Chinese Music, both traditional and contemporary.

University Musical Society
Wu Man's Website

Denver Conference: “Whose America? Who’s American? Diversity, Civil Liberties, and Social Justice”

This sent announcement of early-bird registration sent in by friends at the Japanese American National Museum and by filmmaker Satsuka Ina:

“Whose America? Who’s American? Diversity, Civil Liberties, and Social Justice”
July 3-6, 2008
(Early bird registration closes on January 31, 2008 – Save up to 35%! )
Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center

The conference speakers include:

• Anan Ameri, PhD, Director, Arab American National Museum
• Sybil Jordan Hampton, EdD, Former President, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
• The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. Senator, State of Hawai`i
• Patty Limerick, PhD, Faculty Director and Chair of the Board of the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado
• Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura, Medal of Honor Recipient
• Federico Peña, Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
• George Sakato, Medal of Honor Recipient
• George Takei, Actor

To learn more about the program, to download a registration packet, to learn how to purchase tickets to the Rockies baseball game on July 4, and to see the ever-growing list of people who have already registered for the conference, please visit our Web site at janm.org/projects/ec/conference/.

Additional updates are available through the project blog at janm.org/ec/blog/7.
If you have any questions, please email ec@janm.org.

Looking forward to seeing you in Denver!

– Enduring Communities Project Team

Major support has been generously provided by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Aratani Foundation.

MSNBC Dem Debate Tonight on Minority Issues

Watch, Witness, and Weigh In!

Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters Impact on Nevada Caucus Unprecedented but Undervalued; Historic Presidential Debate to Address AAPI Issues

NATIONWIDE—APIAVote invites you to tune into your MSNBC channel or online to watch the Presidential Democratic Debate on minority issues. The MSNBC debate will directly address Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community issues.

Through intense lobbying by local and national AAPI leaders, the Nevada debate will now include discussion of AAPI-specific issues. In addition, the debate comes hot on the heels of efforts by APIAVote and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Las Vegas chapter to increase AAPI participation and to maximize the visibility of the AAPI electorate in local and ethnic media (see links below for media and blog coverage).

"We've conducted outreach to both the Democratic and Republican parties to make them aware of the AAPI community's presence and growing political participation," said Vida Benavides, chair of APIAVote. "The Nevada caucuses are historic in that the unprecedented AAPI vote could sway the caucus outcome, and it is important for parties to understand that we are not going away—our voice as a community will only get stronger."

"AAPIs have electoral impact," said Daphne Kwok, APIAVote board member. "In Nevada, for the 2004 election, 63 percent of eligible voters registered to vote and 77 percent of registered voters turned out to vote. In Clark County, 35,321 AAPIs registered to vote; 26,464 cast ballots - voter turnout reached 75%."

APIAVote's involvement in Nevada dates back to 2004, when many did not realize the electoral significance of Nevada's growing AAPI communities. Now, a once emerging AAPI community is a key electorate in Nevada. AAPIs are the fastest growing population in the state's Clark County. Asian Americans comprise 8% of the county's population, while Pacific Islanders are now 1% of the county's population.

The Nevada debate leads up to the Nevada caucus on January 19, which is the first caucus in the West, as well as the first caucus in which AAPI participation will have significant impact. With Nevada having the 3rd highest Pacific Islander population and the 6th highest Asian American population, AAPIs from across the United States will be watching this debate, particularly AAPIs in the West headed into Super Tuesday. APIAVote encourages all communities to continue watching upcoming Republican and Democratic debates in order to be an informed voter during this primary season.

Watch, Witness, and Weigh in!: MSNBC Debate Information

What: MSNBC's Democratic Debate in Las Vegas
Who: Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama, former Sen. John Edwards, Democratic Presidential Candidates
When: Tuesday, January 15, 2008
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm PST /// 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm EST
Watch: Your MSNBC Channel, www.msnbc.com
Who: Tim Russert (Meet the Press), Brian Williams (NBC Nightly News), Natalie Morales (The Today Show)

1. WATCH the presidential candidates debate and offer solutions to minority issues!

2. WITNESS AAPI history in the making! Our AAPI leaders will be in the debate spin room to respond to the candidates' answers to our questions.

3. WEIGH IN on the debate! How has the candidates' debate answers impacted your decision on who is the best candidate for our AAPI communities? Will the debate have the same effect on your friends, colleagues, and families? Discuss the first presidential debate that directly addresses AAPIs.

###

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang Talk

"On Becoming Chinese American" Talk by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 7:00-8:30 pm
Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads "China and America: Bridging Two Worlds"
Ann Arbor District Library, Main/Downtown branch
343 South Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Growing up the child of immigrants, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang grew up both part of and slightly outside of Chinese culture and mainstream American culture. What does it mean to be Chinese? What does it mean to be Chinese American? How does one who does not "look the part" become fully American? Who am I in spite of all these labels? As acting editor of IMDiversity.com Asian American Village, Ms. Wang has written extensively on issues of identity and culture as process rather than simply one "Aha" moment in time. She will offer a brief introduction to Asian American history and share the stories of the many different ways she has wrestled with identity and culture--as a child, as a young adult, as a parent, etc.--bringing some of the themes of The Eighth Promise straight to life in today's Ann Arbor.

Check out Frances' website for more events.

Yuja Wang makes UMS Debut

Sunday, January 20, 4 pm, Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

“The current young lions among Chinese-born pianists, Lang Lang and Yundi Li, had better start looking over their shoulders,” noted The New York Times more than a year ago in an article about the rise of the young Chinese pianist Yuja Wang. Born in Beijing in 1987, Wang offers audiences the opportunity to be part of the dawn of an exciting career. She graduated from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music last spring, received the 2006 Gilmore Young Artist Award, and has already made milestone debuts with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and the Boston Symphony, where she stepped in at the last moment for an ailing Martha Argerich. Her San Francisco Symphony debut in April led to an ecstatic review from the San Francisco Chronicle: "At 20, Wang has both the energetic, fearless imagination of youth and the probing sensitivity that in most artists comes only with maturity - as well as the keyboard technique to put all her ideas flawlessly into action...extravagantly gifted on every front...."

University Musical Society
Yuja Wang's Website

Benazir Bhutto killed in Suicide Attack

Newswires this morning are reporting that Benazir Bhutto, 54, the former prime minister of Pakistan, has died following a shooting and suicide bombing that also killed at least 15 other people at the rally where the attack took place.

Bhutto had only recently returned to Pakistan in advance of January parliamentary elections elections, surviving another attempted assassination in Karachi on Oct. 19.

Educated in America and England, Bhutto was the eldest daughter of prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was himself assassinated following a 1977 coup.

More reportage:

International Herald Tribune
Bloomberg
BBC
ABC News
Top News India

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang on Michigan TV?

Professional Journalist at Work: We are not sure, but you might possibly be able to see our own Frances Kai-Hwa Wang (or perhaps just her hand) on Michigan TV running/holding the microphone for the Q&A on this Public TV broadcast of University of Michigan Professor Nicholas Howson's UM ChinaNOW Theme Year Center for Chinese Studies Public Lecture of December 7, 2007, "China's Stock Exchanges and Domestic Capital Markets--Boom, Bust, and Bellwether?"
Michigan TV Channel 22 (Comcast cable channel 22)
Friday, December 21, 2007, 9:00 pm
Saturday, December 22, 2007, 2:00pm
or click here.

To see Frances Kai-Hwa Wang's calendar of REAL upcoming public appearances, check out her website, franceskaihwawang.com.

What is the top story of 2007 in Asian America?

Musings, as we read on the newswires the calls for editorial voting on the top news stories of the year for the papers' year-end editions...

What would be the top story in Asian America? A lot of our news was pretty bleak this year.

Northwoods or Virginia Tech shootings? Clinton campaign embarrassed by Norman Hsu? Tila Tequila gets her own show?


Maybe these were leavened by some other positive moments, too...

Bobby Jindal? PepsiCo Elects Indra K. Nooyi as Chairman of the Board? Hung Huynh wins Top Chef?

We're throwing it out there to some friends on our email lists, anyway, and may come back and write about it again for our ow wrap-up. But, we would also welcome any ideas you might care to drop here as well.

More about Hwang's Yellow Face

Following up on Frances' last post:

For those fans of the playwright, this week we'll be running a new interview. Check out the weekend culture supplement -- we'll leave it up on Asian American Village for a week or so.

Interview: Tony-winner David Henry Hwang
Plus, AP reviewer Michael Kuchwara's review of Hwang's new play, Yellow Face

David Henry Hwang's Yellowface at New York's Public Theater

YELLOW FACE
Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street , NYC
November 19 - December 23, 2007

Written by DAVID HENRY HWANG
Directed by LEIGH SILVERMAN
With NOAH BEAN, FRANCIS JUE, JULIENNE HANZELKA KIM, KATHRYN LAYNG, HOON LEE, LUCAS CALEB ROONEY, ANTHONY TORN

David Henry Hwang puts himself center stage with alter-ego DHH, telling his side of the explosive controversy stirred up when he led the protest against the hiring of Jonathan Pryce in the original Broadway production of Miss Saigon. Truth and fiction are hard to separate as Hwang gives us a funny and moving backstage look at his search to confront the roles that race and ethnicity play in America.

More info and ticket sales at publictheater.org.

Special AALDEF Night at the Theater on Thursday, December 6, 2007, 8 pm. Hwang will be on hand for a post-performance Q&A. Contact swesley@aaldef.org to purchase AALDEF tickets.

"Bumming in Beijing"

Contemporary Chinese Documentary Film: “Bumming in Beijing”
Monday, December 3, 2007, 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM, The Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

First a reception at 6:30pm in the lobby of the historic Michigan Theater with film scholar Berenice Reynaud and director Wu Wenguang. Then at 7:00 pm, a showing of contemporary Chinese documentary film, "Bumming in Beijing" (Director Wu Wenguang, China, 1990, 70 minutes, Mandarin with English subtitles)--a nuanced documentary account of the wanderings of five young artists who migrated to Beijing from the provinces during the heady years of the late 1980s leading up to and including the tragic confrontation in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Followed by Q&A with Reynaud and Wu.

Lecture: Floating, (In)visible, Off-Screen: Voices and Bodies in the New Chinese Documentary
Monday December 3, 2007, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, University of Michigan School of Social Work Building, Room 1636

Also, earlier in the day, Berenice Reynaud, California Institute of the Arts film scholar, will be speaking on contemporary Chinese documentary filmmaking. Based on the theories of Michel Chion, Pascal Bonitzer and Serge Daney on the relationship between image and sound, and in particular between the field of the visible ("on-screen") and the voice in cinema, Berenice Reynaud proposes to study the relationship between the voice and the body in the "New Chinese Documentary Movement." Coming after years of mainstream documentary, in which image and sound were superimposed together through a disembodied, all-knowing, official voice-over commentary, the independent video documentaries of the early 1990s on (starting with Wu Wenguang's "Bumming in Beijing") can be read as a series of multiple, sometimes contradictory strategies to reinsert the voice and attach it to a body. She will describe the evolution of the "movement" from this point of view, ending with new levels of sophistication (off-screen voices, voices in non-Chinese languages, voices that function as a "menace" threatening the integrity of the screen image.

For more information, check out the University of Michigan Center for Chinese Studies.

Coalition Calls for Supreme Court to Strike Down Indiana Legislation

Release from the dedicated folks at The Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAvote.org), a national non-partisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels:

CALLS FOR SUPREME COURT TO STRIKE DOWN INDIANA VOTER ID LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON, DC – Today leaders of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), a non-partisan non-profit civic engagement organization, addressed the United States Supreme Court's consideration of an Indiana law that requires voters to present photo identification at the polls.

APIAVote has joined two amicus briefs filed by the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) with the Supreme Court against Indiana's restrictive legislation on voter identification. Both of these amicus briefs urged the Court to strike down photo identification requirements, citing their unconstitutional discriminatory impact on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters. The constitutionality of Indiana’s voter ID requirements is being challenged in two cases, William Crawford v. Marion County Election Board and Indiana Democratic Party v. Todd Rokita. Oral arguments are scheduled to be presented on January 9, 2008. In addition to Indiana, several other states have enacted similar legislation which could be impacted by the Court's ruling.

"Many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are low income, limited-English speaking, and elderly voters. Instituting photo identification requirements at the polls creates unnecessary barriers that make it harder for our communities to exercise the right to vote," stated Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and APIAVote Board member Gloria T. Caoile.

EunSook Lee, Executive Director of National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and APIAVote Treasurer noted: "There have already been longstanding calls for uniform and appropriate training for election day poll workers. These new identification mandates will undoubtedly lead to more confusion and opens the doors to cases of discrimination against minority voters by well-meaning poll workers navigating unnecessarily cumbersome election rules.

"No evidence exists to prove there is a widespread conspiracy to commit vote fraud," emphasized Bill Kaneko, board member of APIAVote. "Voter ID is a costly action to address a non-existent problem. At little or no cost, most voters can offer signatures and sworn affidavits to prove their identities.”

"Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have waited generations to gain a voice in the political process," said APIAVote Board Chair Vida Benavides. "The ability to vote in this nation's elections is one of the most fundamental rights that our Constitution affords. Our pursuit of liberty and democracy is at stake."

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“Realizing a New China”--Wang Dan to Speak at University of Michigan

Monday, November 19, 2007, 7:00pm
Michigan Law School, Hutchins Hall, Room 100

Wang Dan, who was one of the student leaders during the student democracy movement in China that led up to the events at Tiananmen Square on June 4, will be speaking at the University of Michigan Law School on “Realizing a New China.” Then a student at prestigious Beijing University, he was often considered the brains behind the movement. He rose to prominence advocating political reform and the rule of law in Reform-era China. Imprisoned twice after the events of June 4, 1989, Wang was exiled to the United States in 1998, and he is now completing a Ph.D. in history at Harvard University.

Sponsored by The Michigan Law School and the Center for Chinese Studies as part of the University of Michigan’s LSA China Theme Year. Free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the UM Center for Chinese Studies at 734-764-6308 or check out their website at www.lsa.umich.edu/chinanow.

Oppt'y - UCLA: 2008-09 Postdoctoral/Visiting Scholar Fellowship in Asian American Studies and Ethnic Studies

This opportunity release was sent in to the Village by friends at UCLA:

The Institute of American Cultures, in cooperation with UCLA's four Ethnic Studies Research Centers (American Indian Studies Center, Asian American Studies Center, Bunche Center for African American Studies Center, and the Chicano Studies Research Center) offers fellowships to postdoctoral/visiting scholars to support research on African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Chicanas/os. Each Center awards one fellowship for the academic year in a national competition.

The fellowship includes a stipend (which can be used as a sabbatical supplement) that ranges from $33,000 to $35,000 (contingent upon rank, experience, and date of completion of the Ph.D), up to $4,000 in research support, and health benefits. If applicable, the stipend is paid in the form of a reimbursement to the Fellow's home institution. Appointments are for a 9-month period beginning on October 1, 2008.

Eligibility: Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States and hold a Ph.D. from an accredited college/university (or, in the case of the arts, a terminal degree) in the appropriate field at the time of appointment. UCLA faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students are not eligible to apply.

IAC Postdoctoral Fellows/Scholars are to be in residence during their tenure and to make a contribution to the research activities of the sponsoring Ethnic Studies Research Center. Each fellow/scholar is expected to devote full time to study and research and accept no other form of employment. In the case of the Asian American Studies, the fellow/scholar will also teach a 10-week undergraduate OR graduate seminar based on his or her research with the Department of Asian American Studies.

Applications are due by January 11, 2008, and recipients are notified by mid-April, 2008.

For further information, please contact the Institute of American Cultures Coordinator or one of the IAC coordinators at the centers listed below. The application form is available online at: http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/iacweb/applic.htm

Asian American Studies Center
ATTN: IAC Coordinator
3230 Campbell Hall
Box 951546
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1546
Telephone number: 310.825.2974

Bunche Center for African American Studies
ATTN: IAC Coordinator
160 Haines Hall
Box 951545
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1545
Telephone number: 310.825.7403

American Indian Studies Center
ATTN: IAC Coordinator
3220 Campbell Hall
Box 951548
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1548
Telephone Number: 310.825.7315

Chicano Studies Research Center
ATTN: IAC Coordinator
193 Haines Hall
Box 951544
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544
Telephone Number: 310.825.2363

For General Information:
Institute of American Cultures
Coordinator
1237 Murphy Hall
Box 951419Los Angeles, CA 90095-1419
Telephone number: 310.825.1233
Email: iaccoordinator@gdnet.ucla.edu
UCLA . . . advancing excellence through diversity

Book: Asian American Assimilation: Ethnicity, Immigration, and Socioeconomic Attainment

Available @ Amazon Asian American Assimilation: Ethnicity, Immigration, and Socioeconomic Attainment

We were pleased to hear of the new book by a favorite past Village contributor, C.N. Le, director of Asian American Studies at U. Mass Amherst and the mastermind behind the excellent web site, Asian-Nation.org. Longtime readers may recall that Dr. Le, a sociology and statistics expert, tends to appear on the Village to help put some sense to numbers when new elections surveys, Census, employment and Asian American demographic data, although he has also written extensively on other aspects of (h)APA society and Vietnamese American culture.

In his new book, which uses comprehensive data from the U.S. Census, Dr. Le broadens the idea of assimilation to include socioeconomic and institutional examples of integration by analyzing outcomes such as income, occupational prestige, small business ownership, residential segregation, and intermarriage for five Asian American groups, with an emphasis on Vietnamese. The results show that many Asian Americans, especially Vietnamese Americans, have historically and continue to encounter several disadvantages, particularly compared to Whites, when it comes to achieving structural integration.

Nonetheless, Dr. Le observes, many have been able to overcome such initial challenges in a relatively short amount of time by using collective resources and maintaining ethnic solidarity to weave together a pattern of achievement, mobility, and tradition. In analyzing the interconnections between history, institutional conditions, and community solidarity, Dr. Le's book serves as a valuable reference point and resource for students, policymakers, and Americans from all backgrounds.

In this, the book adds hard evidence to the growing body of research and publications that have recently begun to chip away at the myth of Asian Americans-as-monolithic-Model-Minority. Other research we've covered include, most recently, a UCLA study on APA undergraduate educational attainment in particular.

Dr. Le's book was released by LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC as part of a New Americans series.

Jindal becomes first elected Indian American Governor

Well, for those who have been following our Bobby Watch, this past weekend's action in Louisiana answered our question.

Representative Bobby Jindal, Oxford-educated son of Indian immigrants, handily trounced a packed field of 11 opponents to become not only Louisiana's first non-white governor since the 1870s, but the first Indian American to be elected a state governor in U.S. history. He took 54 percent of the votes, which was enough to avoid a November 17 runoff.

According to the follow-up reporting by the Associated Press, Jindal, at 36 year, will also be the youngest state governor in the U.S.

Jindal had previously run for governor in 2003, losing to Kathleen Blanco by a narrow margin.

BTW, if you missed the Victory Speech...